Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Adventures into Light
by Samweasel
Summary: Imagining what a Gen VII PMD's story might have been, with my own twists and preferences thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

The Darkness surrounded him, covered him like a blanket. No, heavier than a blanket, it squeezed him from all sides, a crushing weight, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. He could barely think. His arms were pinned, his legs refused to listen. Was this it? Was this how it would end?

"_No, it can't end this way! I refuse!"_

And then there was a light. A blinding brightness just ahead of him, threatening to be swallowed by the darkness any second. His last chance. He summoned up what inner strength he had, fought the darkness ensnaring him. He wrenched one arm free, then the other. He forced his legs to work, and kicked. It was a sensation somewhere between forcing his way through thick brambles and swimming, the darkness clawed at him as he fought his way forward. The light was so close now, all he had to do was reach out and…

…

He was falling. The darkness lifted from around him, he could see again - blue sky for miles around him, studded with bright white clouds. Ahead of him, a hazy black splotch was visible for only a moment before it was covered by an encroaching cloud. Or perhaps, fled into it? He looked down, the ground was rushing up to meet him quick: green trees, a river lazily snaking its way through them. In the distance, a yellow beach. Beyond that, the deep blue sea. Had he stumbled out of one end right into another? He could feel the air buffeting him as he fell, hear the wind whistling through his ears, see the tapestry of colors below him. One last bright moment of freedom then. Compared to the crushing darkness he'd escaped from, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He squeezed his eyes shut.

The Treecko looked up, through the breaks in the canopy. The sun was high in the sky, and he was making good time. For what must have been the tenth time since he'd set out that morning, he double checked the straps on his satchel and belt, making sure they were pulled tight. He fiddled with the knot holding the blue bandanna around his neck, making sure it hadn't come loose at all. He worried - he was a natural worrier, really.

He wanted to make a good first impression. Once he crossed the river, he'd be halfway to Treasure Town. There'd be no going back then, it was on to town, on to the Adventurers Lodge and their notoriously stringent entrance exam. He would return to Capim Town a failure, or he would not return at all. He took a deep breath, settled himself once again, and set out. He would undoubtedly repeat this routine again, and every time he did, it was a barely disguised moment for him to reconsider his current course of action.

Ahead of him, he was beginning to see the telltale signs of a Mystery Dungeon. A shimmer on the horizon, followed by jutting rocks and thick undergrowth funneling him towards an entrance that was the one break in a treeline so thick it might as well have been a wall. This was somewhat odd, the Treecko was following a common hiking route for travelers who couldn't afford, or didn't want to take, a Lapras Liner between the two coastal towns, and there had not been a Mystery Dungeon reported on it going back generations. Still, stranger things had happened.

He was broken from his thoughts by the last thing he'd wanted to see: a Pokemon, collapsed by the entrance. It was an Oshawott, lying on its stomach, wearing a tannish coat, with a darker brown wide brimmed hat lying nearby. The Treecko hurried over, and rolled the Pokemon onto his back. The Oshawott was breathing fine, and nothing seemed broken. The poor Pokemon had likely tried to make it through the Mystery Dungeon on his own, only to faint and be ejected.

The Treecko kneeled over the Oshawott, and shook his shoulder. "Hey buddy? You okay?"

He was swimming in a sea of consciousness. His entire body felt sore, the one thing mooring his mind to any sense of reality. His head hurt the most, the shock of pain at its worst when he tried to open his eyes. The light was blindingly bright. His vision couldn't focus anyway, so he kept his eyes closed. For how long he faded in and out of consciousness like that, he couldn't tell. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, pain aside. The ground was nice and cool, the sunlight felt nice. Beneath the pain, something about the whole situation did feel off, but he couldn't exactly put his finger on what. He wasn't really in any state to ponder it anyway.

This lasted until, when his mind had returned to his body once again, things felt very different. The soreness and headache were mostly gone. He was on his back now, someone was podding and shaking him. Their voice seemed far away and muffled at first, but they were clearly calling to him. Asking if he was okay. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a groan. He chanced to open his eyes, and took in the hazy, green and red colored, blur that swam in his vision. Slowly his eyes focused, the image sharpened. He was looking at a Pokemon, a Treecko.

The Treecko clasped its hands together. "You're awake! I was starting to get worried."

He blinked at it. A statement made itself apparent somewhere in the back of his mind. He reached for it, and much like his vision, it slowly came into focus as well. The Pokemon had spoken. The Pokemon. Had spoken.

…

The _Pokemon _had _Spoken_.

He shot up, causing the Treecko to stumbling backwards a few feet in surprise. "Hey! It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!" The Treecko said, trying to be soothing past its startled tone. His head was swimming again, he'd moved too quickly. He rubbed his eyes, forcing them to focus again. It was most certainly a Treecko he was speaking to, accessorized with a belt, satchel, and bandanna. He stared at it harder, it fidgeted.

"You talked!" he said once he remembered how to. It was more of a statement than a question, and that seemed to catch the Treecko a bit off guard.

"Er, yes?" it replied, crossing its arms and cocking its head in a way that made it look almost human. The fact that that didn't unnerve him, was in of itself unnerving.

"But, Pokemon don't talk," he pressed, sounding less sure of himself with every word.

The Treecko didn't seem to know how to respond to that. He spent a moment searching for the words, before saying simply, "You're talking just fine."

"I'm a human!" he asserted, finding his confidence once again.

That seemed to surprise the Treecko all over again. It blinked once, then twice, and looked him up and down. "You, uh, seem like a perfectly normal Oshawott to me!"

"Oshawott?" he muttered. He looked down at himself, past the slight white muzzle he hadn't noticed he had before. His body was covered in sky blue fur, and was complete with a scalchop resting on his belly. He was wearing a coat - his coat surely, though it was too large for him - he pushed the sleeves down a bit to get a better look at his hands. Paws, with slight clawed fingers and a thumb. He stood up on navy blue, three toed feet, and looked behind him, at where his coat bunched up a bit around the base of a paddle shaped tail. He reached his hands up, and felt experimentally around his head, and found his very triangular ears.

"I'm an Oshawott," he repeated to himself.

The Treecko approached him cautiously, reaching down to collect a hat - his hat? - that had been discarded on the ground. The Pokemon, his _fellow _Pokemon, offered it to him with a slight frown, his voice filled with genuine sounding concern when he asked, "Are you alright? I've never seen you around here before, what were you doing here?"

He accepted the hat, and placed it atop his head. It balanced between his ears, a bit too large for him, but it felt right up there. He thought back, or tried to think back. What had he been doing here? He'd been laying on the ground, but before that? Try as he might, he was drawing a blank. He tried to reach further back, in case any older memories might have had a clue. With a chill, however, he realized that he didn't have any older memories either. Only the vague sensation of floating, and falling, and then waking up here.

"I," he stuttered, "I don't remember!"

"You don't remember?" The Treecko said, "Nothing at all?" When he shook his head, the Treecko's frown deepened, "How about your name? Do you remember that?"

He reached back into his mind again, desperate to at least find something he could latch onto. It took some searching, but eventually a name came forward. It stood out to him - alone aside from the conviction that he was, or at least used to be, human - on the blank canvas of his memory.

"Archie."

"Archie," the Treecko repeated with a nod. The Pokemon laid a hand on Archie's shoulder, and smiled, "I'm Spencer. It's nice to meet you, despite the circumstances."

He allowed himself to relax somewhat. Spencer seemed friendly, helpful even, now that Archie was over the original shock of a talking Pokemon. He smiled back at the Treecko, and nodded in return. The other Pokemon - still a strange concept to grasp, _he _was a Pokemon - let his hand drop, and took a few steps back, giving Archie some space. In fact, he looked past the Oshawott, at something else.

When Archie turned to look as well, he was greeted by break in the treeline, which seemed unnaturally dense around them now that he was paying attention to it. The canopy above them was thick, and barely any light was able to get through, certainly not enough for them to tell what there was on the other side of the clearing. He looked back at the Treecko and asked: "Where are we?"

"On the road, about a day and a half out from Capim Town," Spencer replied. The Treecko pointed towards the dark break in the treeline, "About another day's journey that way is Treasure Town. I'm heading there." He paused for a minute, seeming to gather his thoughts, before continuing, "You should come with me. There's an Adventurers Lodge in Treasure Town, someone there might be able to help you."

Archie considered this. He'd never heard of Treasure Town or Capim Town, but it seemed like the former was closer, and Spencer was headed that way anywhere. He didn't really have any other options, even if it was just a straight road back towards Capim Town, he didn't know anyone there, or at least, didn't remember if he did. He looked down the road Spencer had come down, then back towards the clearing before them, and finally to Spencer again. "Yeah. Yeah alright."

"Great!" Spencer smiled, unable to hide his enthusiasm, "We should get going then, we're burning daylight." The Treecko started towards the dark clearing, and, after one final look back down the road towards Capim Town, Archie followed. Very soon, it became too dark to see, but he could hear Spencer walking ahead of him. Soon, those noises became quiet splashes, and another few seconds after that, Archie could feel water flowing gently around his toes. The canopy gave way, and Archie's jaw dropped.

They were standing in a river. Shallow areas all around them were cut into paths and rooms by deeper blue areas of water, or occasionally even tall grasses growing out of the water so thick they appeared impenetrable. Together, the water and grass formed a maze that stretched on as far as the eye could see. He looked back at Spencer, who seemed a bit bemused at his reaction, "What is this place?"

"This is a Mystery Dungeon, though I don't know the name," Spencer replied, "It looks like the river itself was the center of it. It probably only formed very recently." The Treecko lead Archie down one of the shallow passages, but offered no further explanation on what exactly he meant by what he just said. Instead, Spencer said: "Does nothing here look familiar? I thought maybe you came in here and got knocked out, and that's why you can't remember anything."

"I think I'd remember seeing a place like this before," the Oshawott said, defensively. "What's a Mystery Dungeon, anyway?"

The Treecko stopped, and turned to face him with an apologetic look, "Sorry, I forgot you might not recognize that term, what with your memory and all." He turned again, and motioned for Archie to follow him as he continued, "Mystery Dungeons are… Well, they're weird. Reality seems to fold in on itself, the inside is always different. It's actually kind of hard to explain, and I'm not really an expert."

They took a turn and wound up in another room. There was another Pokemon there, sleeping. A lily pad resting on top of a blue quadruped, with a yellow bill: Lotad, Archie's brain helpfully supplied. Spencer held up his paw, motioning for the Oshawott to keep quiet. They crept around the edge of the room, following a wall of grass that, as Archie suspected, he couldn't push through no matter how hard he tried. It was only after they exited the 'room' and rounded another bend in the shallow corridor, that the Treecko allowed himself to breathe again.

"What was that about?" Archie asked, looking over his shoulder back towards where they had come from. The Lotad was out of sight, but it hadn't woken up while they could see it at least.

"Sorry, but the Pokemon you find in Mystery Dungeons, um," the Treecko paused again. He seemed to do this often, Archie wondered if he had trouble organizing his thoughts. Eventually, Spencer continued, "They're not the friendliest sort. If we woke it up, that Lotad would have lashed out at us."

Archie considered this. He'd have to take Spencer's word for it, he guessed. It wasn't like he had any experience that could contradict the Treecko. Something did bother him, though: "If this place is new, and as dangerous as you're implying, why was it sleeping here?"

Spencer motioned for him to follow again, he apparently wanted them to hurry on. Once Archie fell into step behind him, the Treecko explained, "Pokemon in Mystery Dungeons are about as weird and inexplicable as the Dungeons themselves. No one really knows where they come from, or why they're so angry all the time. When a Pokemon gets knocked out in a Mystery Dungeon, they get teleported out. Usually, they wind up back at the entrance they came from, but you could knock out a dozen Pokemon you find in here, and no one at any known entrance will ever see any of them."

The grass walls surrounding them opened up, but the water surrounding them was still very deep, leaving them still stuck on a shallow corridor. They continued along in relative silence for a while, Archie stuck in his thoughts while Spencer kept an eye on their surroundings. It wasn't until the Treecko suddenly stopped, and the Oshawott bumped into him, that he was brought back to the present.

"Do you hear that?" Spencer asked. And, now that he was listening, Archie could. The sound of bubbles breaching the surface of the water and popping. The Treecko scanned the surface of the water before pointing and shouting "Over there!"

The bubbles were approaching them quickly, drawing up right beside their path before, with a splash, a Pokemon surfaced. Blue, with purple frills, a proportionally large head, but with no arms: Wooper. Spencer shouted in surprise, shoulder checking it back into the water before he was able to get a hold of himself. Not to be deterred, the Wooper surfaced again, shooting a jet of water from its mouth, hitting the Treecko in the gut, winding him.

"Are you alright!?" Archie asked, started.

"I'm fine, hit it back," the Treecko wheezed.

A real trial by fire, then? Archie was a Pokemon now, that meant he could use Pokemon moves, right? He recognized the attack the Wooper had done as Water Gun. He should be able to do that too, right? No sooner had he thought about using said attack, though, he could feel the water building up in his throat. He spat back at the Wooper, who far from looking injured actually seemed quite refreshed by the attack! Somewhere deep in his mind he remembered: Wooper had the ability to absorb, and heal from, Water Type attacks. "Oops," he muttered sheepishly.

Thankfully, Spencer actually knew what he was doing. He spread his arms out wide, causing twinkling green lights of energy to leach out of the Wooper's body, before flying into the Treecko's own. Archie recognized that move as well, Absorb. And unlike his own pitiful attempt with Water Gun, Spencer's Absorb seemed to hurt the Wooper quite a bit, it fell back into the water, then disappeared into a beam of light.

The two Pokemon shot each other a look. "Sorry," Archie offered, breaking eye contact to look down at his feet.

"No harm done," the Treecko replied, "Just try to be more careful in the future, okay?"

This, Archie could promise to do. That Wooper wasn't the last Pokemon the pair had to face on their way through the Dungeon. In fact, they faced several more just like it, a few Lotads, a couple Poliwags, and even a Barboach. He didn't make the same mistake again, relying mostly on Tackles. He did, however, learn one trick he had up his sleeve. Following up one of Spencer's Pounds against a Poliwag, Archie was struck by the sudden idea to slam his open palmed paws on either side of the Pokemon's 'head,' knocking it out before it was able to get a move in edgewise.

"That's Assurance!" Spencer had said, surprised, "Oshawott have to inherit that move from their fathers."

"I wasn't born an Oshawott," Archie protested, "I was a human, I'm sure of it!"

Spencer hadn't seemed so sure, but he was willing to let well enough alone. Soon after, they had a fight that didn't go so well, and this time it was Archie that took the brunt of the damage. Once their attacker was dealt with, Spencer lead them into a side room, and then, over to a small object, half submerged in the water. It was a fruit, ovoid in shape, and blue. The Treecko handed it over to him, it felt firm in his paw, the skin was almost tough.

"This is an Oran Berry," he explained, "Eat it, you'll feel better."

Archie had stared at the fruit quizzically, "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yes!" Spencer chuckled, "No one's ever gotten sick eating an Oran Berry they found in a Dungeon, I promise you." The Treecko waited until he'd already taken a cautious bite of it before adding, "As long as it's not an _Oren _Berry!" Archie did feel better after eating it, but he still looked askance at every berry they picked up after that, much to Spencer's continued amusement.

Eventually, his stomach started grumbling. Archie couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, but it almost felt like this hunger was too soon. Spencer took his stomach's protests very seriously, however, putting a rather large apple out of his satchel - how had it even fit? - and expertly splitting it in half. He'd borrowed Archie's scalchop in order to do so, which left the Oshawott feeling strangely miffed. He'd already identified the small shell as being his, even if he'd only woken up with it very recently. Still, it wasn't like he'd figured out how to make use of it yet, and he couldn't argue with the results, it was a very delicious apple.

"Mystery Dungeons really sap your energy," Spencer said between bites of his half of the apple, "If you don't stay fed, you'll eventually faint from hunger!"

"How long have we been in here?" Archie asked. The sun, unnervingly enough, hadn't seemed to move at all since its position when they entered the dungeon. Archie supposed it was because of the whole reality folding in on itself thing Spencer had mentioned. It made tracking the time very difficult.

"A few hours by my count," the Treecko replied, "We should be getting near the end, but if you get hungry again let me know, I brought plenty of provisions!"

"How does everything fit in that little bag?" Archie finally asked. He'd been wondering that for some time, as this apple wasn't the first thing he'd seen the Treecko pull out of or put into that satchel.

"It's a Wonder Bag!" Spencer said by way of explanation. Then, with a smile he added: "It's a lot bigger on the inside."

It was all so very strange to Archie, the bag, the Dungeon, the Pokemon. But Spencer treated it all as if it were the most normal thing. The Oshawott presumed it would be, to someone who had grown up with it. They continued on with only the occasional small talk. Spencer had, a few times, asked him again if anything seemed familiar to him, with Archie replying to the negative every time. Eventually, the Treecko seemed to realize the repeated references to his lost memory were upsetting the Oshawott, and dropped the subject.

Finally, they turned a corner and came up upon the wall of trees. There was another dark opening, covered by the canopy, an exit. Hopefully the right one, Archie had gotten hopelessly turned around travelling through this Dungeon. He trusted Spencer's sense of direction though, and the Treecko certainly seemed excited to find the way out. Before they could leave, though, they heard a buzzing noise.

The Pokemon making the noise dropped down from above them, four wings flapping furiously. A teardrop head with giant antenna in the shape of narrowed eyes, an orange marking shaped almost like a snout on the face, with two beady black eyes as the nostrils. A Masquerain, a Bug Type Pokemon. This wasn't good. Before they had a chance to react, it changed the way it was beating its wings, and buzzing noise roise to a shrill whistle. Both of them covered their ears, this was Bug Buzz, and as bad as it was for Archie it had to be worse for Spencer.

The Oshawott fired a Water Gun, the Bug Type tried to dodge but wasn't able to get all the way out in time. The attack clipped it and knocked it off course, and it had to reorientate itself, ending its own attack in the process. They could not allow it to do that attack again. Beside him, Spencer was digging through his bag for an Oran Berry. This meant it was up to Archie to press the attack and keep it busy.

He rushed it. The Masquerain dodged his attempted Tackle, swung around and shot into his side instead, sending him sprawling. The Quick Attack was certainly painful, but it did mean the Bug Type was committing to the melee, at least for now. Archie got back to his feet and fired another Water Gun at it, and this time it dodged right into Spencer's own attack, as the Treecko jumped up and smashed his tail into the Masquerain, Pouding it into the ground.

It took flight again, haphazardly, and this time moved all its wings at once, blowing a pale purple wind at both of them. The Ominous Wind hurt, naturally, but even worse, after launching it the Masquerain seemed to be moving double time. They each swung at it with a Tackle and Pound, but it wasn't having any trouble dodging anymore. It even breezed by Archie's Water Gun. At this point, Archie was beginning to get worried, they hadn't come so far only to lose now, had they? Spencer's warning that if they got knocked out, they'd wind up back at the entrance rang through his mind.

"Archie!" Spencer called to him, reaching into his bag and tossing a small seed his way. The Oshawott caught it, and was surprised to learn it was hot to the touch. "I'm going to distract it, while I do, get up behind it and eat that!"

No time to question his plan, the Treecko was already on the move. The Pokemon launched a flurry of Pound attacks at the Masquerain with fist, tail, and foot. The Pokemon was having no trouble dodging around every move, but its focus was entirely on the Treecko. Archie ran into position, while Spencer got a Quick Attack to the chest for his trouble. Archie threw the seed into his mouth and bit down.

A heat unlike any he'd ever felt before welled up in his mouth. When he opened his mouth again, a small plume of fire flew from his mouth, launching the seed fragments at the Masquerain. The burning bits of seed peppered its back, wings, and head, and exploded on impact. The now smoking Bug Type fell to Archie's feet, and yet still it twitched and tried to take flight again. When the Oshawott brought his paws down on its back with an Assurance, however, it finally laid still, and disappeared into the light.

Spencer sat up from where the Masquerain had sent him sprawling, and said, with a weak smile: "Blast Seed. Gets them every time."

With a smile of his own, Archie offered the Treecko a paw up, and, together, they limped out the exit. When they exited the covered path back onto the road, Archie was able to see that the sun had, in fact, been moving. It now hovered just above the treetops, in a sky being painted the colors of sunset. They continued walking for some time, but eventually found a protected spot just out of sight of the path to make camp. By sundown, they were sharing another apple, which Spencer had carefully baked over the campfire they now sat in front of.

They had been left in peace since leaving the Mystery Dungeon. In fact, they had yet to meet another Pokemon on the road, though Spencer didn't find that terribly surprising. "Most Pokemon prefer to take the Lapras Liner between towns. Not too many Pokemon hike, for exactly the reason you saw. Never know when an otherwise safe road might suddenly spawn a Mystery Dungeon."

Spencer was one of those rare Pokemon that enjoyed travelling the interior of the continent - apparently simply called the Grass Continent, though when Archie asked why it had that name, Spencer only shrugged - it seemed. He was, after all, attempting to join an Adventurers Lodge, where, according to the Treecko, such travelling was the norm. Which was why Spencer thought the Adventurers might be able to help him. They travelled all over, and had seen so much. The Oshawott spent some time ruminating on that, then finally worked up the nerve to ask the question he'd been meaning to ask since they'd met.

"Are there many humans around?"

Spencer was silent for a good long while. When he did speak, he spoke slowly, as if choosing his every word carefully. "Humans only exist in legends. That's why I had such a hard time believing you." Archie's face fell, but the Treecko placed a hand on his shoulder again, locked eyes with him, and this time spoke more assuredly, "But, having travelled with you, I don't think you seem like the lying sort, Archie. You earnestly believe you're a human, so I believe you, too."

Archie didn't know what to say. Just like that, only a few hours fighting beside one another, was enough? Spencer was certainly the trusting sort, but it warmed his heart to know that the Treecko had come around all the same. "Thank you, Spens, really."

"Spens?" The Treecko chuckled, "No problem, 'Arch.' But that leads me to my second point." Again the Treecko paused, Archie motioned for him to continue, and he blurted out all at once: "I think you should join the Adventurers Lodge with me!"

That surprised him quite a bit! The Oshawott blinked, then looked towards the fire, "Oh, Spencer, I'm not sure about that."

"But you're strong Archie! I know it first hand," Spencer pressed, the words tumbling out now. "I couldn't have gotten through that Dungeon by myself, I know that for a fact. And you were turned into a Pokemon, and you lost your memory. Something or someone had to have done that to you, and even if no one at the Lodge knows, we'll travel all over the continent - all over the world, even! It's the best way for you to find out. Maybe you'll run into a person you know, or a place you've been to, or something that helps answer all your questions."

Archie took it all in, worked it over in his head. Now it was his turn to not know what to say. Could he really say no? The Treecko certainly raised good points. All he had was a name and a conviction, he would need more than that. If joining this Lodge could help him, even if it was only the slightest chance, he'd be a fool not to take it.

"Alright Spencer, you believed me, so I'll believe you. I'll join the Adventurers Lodge with you."

The Treecko cheered. He launched to his feet, and started around the camp. "We should get to sleep, if we get up at first light we'll reach Treasure Town by noon tomorrow, just in time for the exam!" He laid down, on the other side of the fire from Archie, and said "So I'm going to do just that! Good night Archie, don't stay up too late!"

Archie couldn't help but smile at his travelling companion's antics. Would it be too forward to consider the Treecko a friend at his point? Somehow, he doubted Spencer would disagree with the title. Still, excited or not, the Pokemon's advice was sound. The Oshawott removed his coat, folding it up carefully to use as a pillow, and then laid down himself. He tipped the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes, and, as he drifted off, one last thought drifted into his mind.

"_Maybe being a Pokemon won't be so bad."_


	2. Chapter 2

When he awoke the next morning, felt the cold ground beneath his fur, he still had to sit up, tilt his hat back into place, and study his hands. Study his paws, more like, he was still a Pokemon. The events of the previous day had not been a dream. He felt an odd mix of disappointment and relief at that. And then he shivered.

The fire had gone out at some point over the night, and exposed as he was to the elements, there was only so much the Oshawott's fur could do to keep him warm. He stood up, ignoring the protest of his limbs and back, sore from sleeping on hard ground all night. Dirt was brushed out of his fur - he could use a bath, did Pokemon take baths? - and then out of his coat, its purpose as a pillow now done. He felt a little bit warmer once he'd put the garment back on, it would have to do until the sun came out in force.

Speaking of the sun, the top of it was just poking out over the top of the trees. Spencer had wanted to set out at first light, and, indeed, Archie could see no sign of him around their makeshift camp. A slow sense of panic started to build in some dark corner of his mind. Had he been abandoned? Scared Spencer off with his talk of being human, which surely must have seemed crazy to the Treecko. Or, had the Pokemon simply used him to get through a tough spot, and now had no further use of him?

He knew the way back to the road, and probably could continue on to Treasure Town himself, assuming there weren't any more Mystery Dungeons in the way. If Treasure Town was even where that road actually went. He didn't have any better options though. He turned away from the camp, took a few steps in the direction of the road, and immediately bumped into Spencer.

"Oh! Archie, you're awake," the Pokemon said cheerily, once he'd reestablished his footing. And just like that, the panic was gone, replaced with relief and shame. Clearly Archie had been too quick to doubt the Treecko. Had he been this distrusting as a human, or was this simply a product of his unfamiliar location and form? He quickly composed himself though, smiling and nodding hello at his traveling companion.

"Sorry, it must've been weird waking up in an empty camp," Spencer said. The Treecko was perhaps more perceptive than Archie originally gave him credit for. Spencer continued, before the Oshawott had a chance to respond, "I woke up a bit ago, and went out to see about breakfast. I figured you were probably getting tired of apples."

The Treecko dug around in his wonder bag, and produced a pair of berries. They were vaguely egg shaped, yellow, with green rings. Their thick brown stems were jagged around the top, the Treecko likely having snapped them off whatever plant they were hanging from himself. He handed one to Archie, and though the texture of the fruit was different, its firmness reminded him of the Oran Berry he'd eaten the other day.

"I really hit the jackpot here," the Treecko said with a smile, "These are Aspear Berries. They're super sour, but they'll warm you right up." As if to prove his point, the Treecko took a bite out of his fruit, and despite a slight shudder at the flavor, seemed perfectly fine. The Oshawott sniffed at it once or twice, but eventually took the plunge as well. The first thing that hit him upon biting into the berry was its taste. In fact, 'hit' was the perfect way to describe it, it was so sour it felt like he'd been bowled over.

The second thing he noticed, once he'd managed to fight past what must have been his entire face puckering - judging by the giggles Spencer was having just looking at him - to swallow the fruit, was the warmth. It started in his core, before working its way out to his limbs and then his digits. He could certainly understand why Pokemon fought past the flavor to eat it, he couldn't imagine ever feeling cold again.

"It's really good," the Oshawott managed to choke after another bite, "Thank you."

"You'll get used to the kick," Spencer said with a grin. Archie wasn't so sure about that. Once they'd eaten their fill, and with the rising sun silently egging them on, they got started down the road to Treasure Town. Eventually, the treeline broke, revealing great plains for miles around. The road hugged the coast, a bay of shimmering blue water stretching out to their right as they walked, with the sun at their backs. It was beautiful, peaceful even. If the whole world was like this, Archie could understand why Spencer wanted to explore it so much.

As Spencer had predicted, the town came into view over the horizon as the sun reached its highest point. Built on a bluff overlooking the sea, the road weaved its way up hills and around clumps of trees and rocky outcrops. Archie hadn't been sure what to expect for a town built by Pokemon, but he was blown away all the same.

The road they were following transitioned from dirt to sand colored cobblestones as they climbed. As they reached a crossroads, the town center was still a ways ahead of them, a cluster of buildings made out in the shape of various Pokemon. They were all clustered around a main street, a continuation of the road they had been following. Cutting across that road was another, which on one side lead down towards the beach, and the other up what must have been the highest point on the bluff.

Before them, sitting at the edge of the crossroads, was a tent. Colored tan, with red splotches, and decorated with a nose, spiral eyes, and large ears, it was clearly a Spinda's head, and a well crafted one at that. Archie noted that you entered the tent through the Pokemon's 'mouth,' and could hear the sounds of muffled laughter coming from somewhere within. Beside him, Spencer clapped his paws together.

"Oh! This must be Spinda's Cafe," he said, then turned to Archie, "Spinda's family has run Project P going back generations, hiring out explorers going back generations. The Adventurer's Guild was first founded as a for-hire exploration team by some of Spinda's original contractors." The Treecko looked back at the tent, crossing his arms.

"I knew it was here, but it is a bit smaller than I expected," he added.

Still, exploring the town wasn't their present task, so, rather than heading in, or down the road any further, Spencer lead them up one of the side roads. Sitting near the edge of the cliff was another building. An orange dome, with a red crest, windows in the shape of half lidded eyes with gray half circles painted above them, and, again, an opening where the mouth would be. This one was a Scrafty, clearly.

Archie's eyes, however, were drawn to something sitting near that opening. A red and white ball, with a black band around its middle, complete with a smaller what circle in the center. A Pokeball? Here? What possible use would Pokemon have for one? And why would they leave it here? Archie leaned forward to grab it, his curiosity peaked.

As soon as he touched it though, it smacked his hand away! Spencer grabbed him by the arm, and threw him back, the Treecko taking the brunt of a cloud of spores the 'pokeball' spat out. Of course, it wasn't really a Pokeball at all. It was a small, off white, mushroom, with a Pokeball design on its cap, a small pink mouth, a pair of beady eyes, and tiny limbs. A Foongus, a strange mimic.

"Waugh! Intruders!" The Foongus yelled, "Intruder alert!"

"What? Intruders? No!" Spencer stuttered, "It was just a misunderstanding, we're sorry!"

Archie noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Movement, from within the shadowed opening to the building. Spencer, too busy trying to sooth the still screaming Foongus, did not see it. A flicker of light from within the building, and this time it was Archie's turn to protect his partner, tackling the Treecko to the ground just in time for a jet of fire to launch out at them. The two Pokemon rolled to their feet as their attacker made himself known.

A canine stepped out into the light. Quadruped, with orange and cream fur, black stripes along its back and limbs. A Growlithe, teeth bared in a warning snarl with its tail lashed to and fro. The Foongus, still by the door, calmed immediately upon the other Pokemon's arrival. Spencer put his hands up, palms out to show he meant no harm. Archie quickly did the same.

"Please, we mean no harm," the Treecko said. Maybe this Pokemon would be more amenable to talk. Any hopes Archie had were quickly dashed however. The Pokemon's hackles was raised, embers were already forming around its mouth.

"Then leave," it commanded, embers spilling out of its mouth with every word.

Spencer looked almost heartbroken, "Leave? But we've come so far, we can't go back now!"

"If you won't leave, then I'll make you!" The Growlithe roared. This time, Archie was ready for its Flamethrower, pushing Spencer one way while he dodged the other. It couldn't focus on both of them, and he could handle the heat better than Spencer could. If this canine wanted a fight, Archie would give it to him! He fired a Water Gun, forcing the Growlithe to divert its attention from the Treecko and instead fire its Flamethrower back at Archie.

The two attacks collided, and petered out. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. There was no rush of steam, no sizzle of drowned flames and evaporating water. A previously invisible barrier, what had really stopped the two moves, shimmered in the afternoon sun, before cracking and breaking.

"Now now, there's no need for that," a sing-songy voice rang out, seemingly from everywhere at once. In a beam of light, another Pokemon appeared. Primarily white, with what looked almost like a frilled dress around its waist. Beneath the frills, its legs were green, as was its 'hair,' while two red horns grew from either side of her head. She studied the four of them through red eyes. A Kirlia.

"But Gwyn, they're intruders! They attacked me!" The Foongus whined. Archie wasn't quite sure how a mushroom would manage to whine, but this one had found a way. The Kirlia rested its chin on its hand in an exaggerated thinking pose, studying the Foongus and Growlithe in turn.

"Really? To me, it looked more like two visitors waking up a sleeping door 'mon, only to be attacked for their trouble," the Kirlia said. The Foongus looked suitably shamed, but the Growlithe was furious. Thankfully, not furious at Archie and Spencer anymore though.

"Sleeping again, sentry!?" He yelled, approaching his fellow Pokemon. The Growlithe batted the Foongus towards the entrance, promising the mushroom "Viola will hear about this" before turning to look at the Oshawott and Treecko, "My apologies, it is my job to scare away any intruders the sentry's Effect Spore does not handle."

"No harm done, I'm sure," the Kirlia said, smiling. The Growlithe nodded, before heading into the building, presumably to take the Foongus to whomever this 'Viola' person was. With him gone, that left the two of them alone with the Kirlia, who turned to them with a nod, "Welcome to the Adventurer's Lodge, how may I be of assistance?"

Spencer shook himself, getting over the last of the shock of the sudden attack, before stepping forward, "Before that, I want to report a new Mystery Dungeon. It appeared on the road between Capim Town and Treasure Town, and seems focused over the river."

The Kirlia's eyes glazed over, as she seemed to focus on something far away that only she could see. It wasn't long before she was back, however, with a reassuring smile on her face, "Thank you, your report has been received. Now then, you implied there was another reason you came?"

The Treecko nodded, standing up to his full height and throwing back his shoulders. "We're here to take the Guild Entrance Exam," he said seriously. He certainly cut quite the figure, trying to make himself look a bit stronger than he was. Archie smiled, and the Kirlia giggled, before her focus shifted to that far away look once again. She was gone longer this time, but eventually her focus, and smile, returned, and she nodded.

"You're just in time, they're waiting for you on the beach," she said. Spencer seemed surprised at that, the Treecko apparently having lost track of the time. He nodded this thanks to the Kirlia, then motioned for Archie to follow has he raced back down the hill. The Oshawott gave the Kirlia a smile, which she returned, folding her hands over her stomach. As he turned to follow his traveling companion, the Kirlia added, "I can't wait to see you boys again. You'll do wonders for the Lodge."

He looked back at the Pokemon, wanting to hurry, but his curiosity was roused yet again, "What makes you say that?"

"Because I can see the future, of course!" She said, with a wide smile.

He caught up with Spencer at the crossroads, the Treecko having elected to wait for him when the Oshawott didn't immediately follow. The Kirlia hadn't said anything else, and with her light and breezy tone, Archie wasn't able to tell if her declaration of prognostication had been serious or in jest. Certainly, Pokemon were strange and powerful creatures, and fortune telling was far from the strangest thing one could do. But, here he was again, thinking about Pokemon as if he himself wasn't currently one of them.

"So, that was the Adventurers Lodge?" He asked the Treecko as he fell into step beside him. To be honest, he probably should have asked the Treecko where they were before he'd gone and poked the Foongus. Thinking back, his conduct was already starting to embarrass him. He'd have to apologize to the little mushroom if he ever saw him again. Still, he thought he'd seen enough of at least those three to get some idea on the kind of Pokemon they were, "They're a colorful bunch."

Spencer was silent for a while again as they started down the hillside to the beach. Just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Archie started to get worried he'd possibly said the wrong thing, or worse, if his conduct back at the lodge had offended his partner. They had, after all, almost missed their chance to join the lodge because of him. The Oshawott opened his mouth to open the Treecko an apology of his own, when the Pokemon finally spoke up.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting either, they seem like good Pokemon, though," he said, before looking over at Archie, "Thanks for protecting me from that Growlithe's fire, that was pretty scary!"

The Oshawott smiled, "Hey, no problem, thanks for protecting me from that Foongus's spores, and, well, my own stupidity. Sorry for uh, sorry for almost preventing you from being able to join the lodge. I know this is really important to you, and I should take it more seriously."

The Treecko playfully shoved him, laughing, "Oh, don't worry about that! It all worked out in the end." Spencer really was too good to him. Archie needed to work harder to return that kindness, he decided. The Treecko had already done so much for him, it was the least he could do in return.

Eventually, the terrain evened out, the cobblestones they had been walking on transitioned back to dirt, and then sand. First the trees, and then the grass, reached the end of their range. The two Pokemon rounded one final rock face, and then they were presented by a strip of golden sand, and the brilliant sea beyond it, glittering in the afternoon sun. There was quite the crowd of Pokemon milling about, in clumps of twos and fours. One, however, stood off on its own.

It had scales a blue shade of indigo, mixed with red on its torso and arms. Long pointed ears, a too wide mouth full of sharp teeth, brilliant golden eyes. Dangerous pincers on either arm, and another on its tail, with wings that hung behind it like a cape. This Gliscor cut an imposing figure. It didn't help that it was looking right at them with barely disguised irritation.

"Form up!" the Gliscor ordered. The clusters of Pokemon hurried to follow the instruction, forming into two rows of what must have been over a dozen Pokemon each. Archie and Spencer found themselves on the furthest right, with the Oshawott in front of the Treecko behind. The Gliscor waited until they had all settled to continue, "Now that the final group is here, the exam can begin."

"Your goal today is quite simple," the Gliscor said. with one of its pincers, the Pokemon motioned towards a nearby cave, "Before you is Beach Cave, a Mystery Dungeon. At its pit, one of my guildmates awaits you. The first team of two Pokemon to reach him will be accepted into the Lodge. The rest of you will go home in shame."

A wave of muttering swept through the applicants until it was cut off by a raised pincer, "This Mystery Dungeon is perfectly safe, your only obstacles in this exam will be one another. You may avoid one another, or you may attempt to fight. You will enter the Dungeon one group at a time, to ensure you all have a different starting point."

The Gliscor motioned for the groups to follow it. Keeping their lines together, they approached the mouth of the cave. The Pokemon help up its pincer once again, preventing the first group of Pokemon from entering the dungeon. "One final thing. If your partner faints, you will also be considered a failure, this is a team exercise, and working together to overcome obstacles is a key part of being an Adventurer." With that, the Pokemon allowed its claw to drop, "Now go."

Being at the rear of the line, Archie and Spencer had of course been the last to enter the cave. The Oshawott hoped that that wouldn't negatively affect their chances. He couldn't allow himself to be bogged down in worry though, this was it, they had to prove themselves. He had to prove himself. He wouldn't let Spencer down.

"Okay Archie, I'll follow your lead this time," Spencer's voice took the wind out of his sails. The Oshawott turned to study his companion, the surprise clearly visible on his face. The Treecko's expression, by contrast, was resolute, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was shaking. The Pokemon forced a smile, "As you can see, I'm not in a state to make tactical decisions right now."

"Spencer, are you certain? This is your dream, what if I screw up?" Archie asked. The Treecko clearly had more faith in him than he did. Spencer probably had more faith in a lot of things than Archie did, come to think of it.

"You won't screw it up," the Treecko replied, keeping his tone even, "Because I trust you."

"Spencer, I," he paused. He couldn't doubt himself now. He wouldn't doubt Spencer, either. He steeled his expression, and nodded, "I won't let you down.

By contrast to the last Dungeon they had explored, Beach Cave was, well, a cave. The floor was a mixture of sand and rock, while rock walls enclosed them from either side, and above. Though all the Pokemon had entered from the same place, the sand around them showed no sign of disturbance. Just another way Mystery Dungeons were seemingly inexplicable to add to the ever growing list. Archie picked a direction and set off, Spencer following close behind.

In contrast to their previous endeavour, this Dungeon seemed quite a bit less maze-like. Passages twisted and turned but only rarely branched off. In fact, the narrow confines presented a whole new set of problems when the pair quickly ran into one of their fellow teams. Two Pokemon, coming down the corridor they were going up. All four of them seemed to realize at the same time that they were on a collision course with no room to maneuver, and both teams were certain that they'd need to get past one another to continue onwards.

The lead Pokemon was a fellow Water Type, blue and stocky with a protective tan and brown shell around its torso, and a curled tail: Squirtle. The other was a quadruped, yellow with long pointed ears and a pointed white muzzle. It had red tufts of fur coming out of either ear, and similar colored fur on the tip of its bushy tail, a Fennekin.

Archie met with the Squirtle first, the other Pokemon firing a cloud of bubbles at him, each of which stung as they popped against his fur. He pulled down his hat so none would be able to get at his eyes, and blind fired a Water Gun in return. Ahead of him, he heard the Fennekin cry out in shock, the Squirtle having evidently ducked his attack without considering his partner behind him.

"Archie, get down!" Spencer yelled from behind him. The Oshawott dropped to the floor of the cave while the Treecko launched over him, hitting the Squirtle with enough force to send the pair of them crashing back into the Fennekin, before pushing off the Water Type with enough force to hop back behind the Oshawott, "Now, press the advantage!"

Archie didn't need to be told twice. He leapt to his feet, and with a Tackle of his own smashed the Squirtle back into the Fennekin. Clambering over the floored turtle to the now well and truly dazed Fennekin, the Oshawott brought down his paws onto the top of the Pokemon's head, the Assurance slamming the Fire Type face first into the ground. And with that, the Fennekin was beamed out of the dungeon. The Squirtle looked at the spot his partner used to be, then looked up at Archie, and then he was gone as well, taken by another beam of light.

"I guess that Gliscor wasn't kidding about that whole failing together thing," Spencer said, hurrying forward to meet up with him. The battle seemed to have done wonders for the Treecko's nerves, he seemed much calmer now. Of course, it probably helped that they'd won it.

"That attack you did, what was it?" Archie asked. The Treecko had flung himself forward with quite a bit of force. He hadn't done that at all the last time they'd gone through a dungeon together.

"Quick Attack, did you like it?" Spencer grinned, "I learned it off that Masquerain, thought it might come in handy."

The pair got started again, and eventually the twisting corridor opened up into a small chamber. There was an Oran Berry there, which Spencer happily brushed sand off of, before adding to his collection. Archie hoped that they wouldn't be eating that one any time soon. As the pair entered another corridor, the Oshawott thought back to their short battle. "Did those Pokemon seem kind of weak to you?"

"Pokemon of all skill levels try to join the lodge, that's why the exam exists, to weed out the weaker ones," Spencer explained, "Unlike us, those two have probably never gone through a Mystery Dungeon before." That seemed sensible enough, getting through that previous Dungeon had been quite the ordeal. One they'd both learned from, between Archie's general knowledge and Spencer's new attack. He was thankful for the experience now.

"Hey Spens?" He asked after a few more minutes spent thinking of attacks, "You said my Assurance was a move that had to be inherited, right? Do you have any moves like that?"

"They're called Egg Moves, probably because Pokemon come right out of the egg knowing them," the Treecko replied, before falling into one of his usual silent spells. The fact that Pokemon came from eggs just gave Archie a whole 'nother layer of questions. Those were, perhaps, better left for another time, though. At length though, Spencer continued, "I never met my dad, though, so I don't know if I have any of those."

Archie cringed, hoping he hadn't just broached a particularly painful subject. He let that topic drop, and just focused on not getting himself turned around when they reached a fork in the path. At length, they came upon another room, just in time to see a flash of light take someone out of it. The cause of that sudden eviction was the two Pokemon already in the room. They heard them enter, and turned to face them.

One was a Fire Type, this fact being readily apparent from the flames on its back. It had a cream and blue coloration, a long snout, and very stubby limbs compared to its head and body size. A Cyndaquil, joined by another quadruped, somewhat similar in appearance to the Fennekin, brown with a cream ruff around its neck, and a much less pronounced muzzle and narrower ears. Eevee. They both looked a little tired already, but the Cyndaquil was reaching into its bag, no doubt for an Oran Berry.

Archie lead with a Water Gun, but the Eevee leapt in front to take the brunt of the attack, and their chance for an easy victory was lost. The Cyndaquil, having had time to rejuvenate itself, followed up with a Smokescreen, spewing a thick cloud of black smoke from its flame vents that obscured the two opposing Pokemon and expanded out to blanket the room. Spencer grabbed him by the collar of his coat and yanked him backwards, until the two found a wall.

"This way they can only approach us from the front," the Treecko explained. Then he was kicked in the head, as the Eevee turned his Quick Attack tactic against him, launching out of the fog at the Treecko, then using the Pokemon as a launch pad to disappear back into the obscuring smoke. Archie fired a Water Gun in the Pokemon's direction, but it was already long gone, and he heard rather than saw the attack hit the ground.

"You wouldn't have anything in that bag of tricks of yours for clearing this smoke, would you?" Archie asked, while the dazed Treecko came back to his senses.

"There's a number of Orbs that could be used to clear or circumvent this attack, and would you believe me if I said I had none of them?" The Treecko growsed.

"Guess our luck had to run out at some point," Archie conceded. Again the Eevee launched itself out of the mist, this time striking Archie in the chest and slamming him back into the wall. Forcing himself to keep breathing despite the pain, he grabbed the Treecko's hand and lead him out into the room, "Come on, we're not going to make any headway getting repeatedly slammed into a wall."

"You're not getting away!" The Eevee taunted from within the smoke, before hitting Spencer in the back, knocking the Treecko over. Once again, Archie's attempt at a Water Gun reprisal splashed against the ground. Archie was noticing something of a pattern here, but rueing his misfortune soon turned to a more productive thought.

"Why isn't the Cyndaquil attacking?" He asked his partner, who was in the process of picking himself up again.

"Probably because he's maintaining the Smokescreen," Spencer replied. That set the Treecko's own train of thought down the same path Archie's was going. "If we could just find him somehow, we could stop this smoke." A sudden look of realization dawned on the Treecko's face, he turned to his partner.

"Archie, you're a Water Type, can't you make the area damp?" The Treecko asked, "That Cyndaquil's got to have his fire going to produce this much smoke. If we can get some steam going I'll bet we can find him!"

Could Archie do that? He felt like he could, in the same way he felt like he could use Assurance. An instinctual knowledge, perhaps, but now was not the time to ponder his Oshawott instincts. He fired a jet of water around the floor, splashing it into the air around him and Spencer. Then he 'pushed' it - gesturing forward and around himself - causing the water droplets to spread out over the entire room. This was Water Sport. He felt stupid for not doing it earlier.

Much like Spencer expected, they were soon rewarded by the sound of water meeting fire, and a sputter of surprise from the Cyndaquil. Archie keyed in on the source of the noise, and fired a Water Gun at it. A great burst of steam and another strangled cry revealed that this time, the attack struck home. The smog began to lift, the Cyndaquil's fire was out.

Now it was the Treecko's turn to lash out with a Quick Attack. The Eevee rushed to intercept, but another Water Gun from Archie kept it busy dodging while the Treecko slammed into the annoying quadruped's partner. They had to press their advantage now that they had it. The Eevee might be able to continue dodging his Water Guns, but the Cyndaquil was clearly much less experienced in a fight, so used to standing back and maintaining its Smokescreen.

So the Eevee was left twisting in the wind, dancing around Water Guns more intended to keep it away than actually hit it, the Cyndaquil's flailing attempt at a Tackle was met by one of Spencer's Pounds, putting an end to that Pokemon's struggles. Moments later it was beamed out. The Eevee managed a short "No!" before getting beamed out itself. To add injury to insult, Archie was finally able to nail it in the face with a Water Gun before it was removed.

The two remaining Pokemon shared a sigh of relief. Archie regretted commenting about how easy the first encounter had been. The Eevee and Cyndaquil had had a dangerous strategy, and if the Cyndaquil hadn't been an inexperienced fighter it might have turned out much worse for them. As the two settled down momentarily to each eat an Oran Berry, one thing was clear: They could not afford to underestimate any further opponents.

"So uh, I know I'm not the most experienced at this whole fighting thing, yet," Archie stated once they'd gotten started again, "But that Eevee seemed especially hard to hit."

"My guess is, it was using Detect in combination with its Quick Attack to predict and dodge your moves," Spencer replied, "The smoke would have given it a further edge. Why you weren't able to hit it after the smoke was gone, I don't know."

"I wasn't trying to hit it then!" the Oshawott said, defensively. Spencer chuckled and waved him off, and Archie huffed in exaggerated annoyance. In better spirits then, they continued deeper into the cave. They had to be getting near the bottom by now. Though they'd fallen into a comfortable silence, both wanting to keep their eyes and ears open in case they were about to come up against another team, at length Spencer did speak again.

"So how did you know you could use Assurance?"

Archie thought back to the first time he'd called that particular attack forward. Really, there was nothing different about using it than there was any of the other moves he'd done. Much like Water Sport, once he'd realized he could do it, it came naturally to him. "I just kind of knew I could, I felt it deep down." It sounded a lot dumber spoken.

"Just felt it huh? I wonder," the Treecko trailed off.

Archie didn't have a chance to press him further. They reached a room, and from a short corridor down it, they could see what had to be Beach Cave Pit, a hidden away little beach, with an opening letting water in and out. More pressingly, however, they were not alone in this room, as entering from another side of it was another team of Pokemon. One last and final challenge to overcome before they could join the guild.


	3. Chapter 3

The first Pokemon, ostensibly that team's leader, was avian. Blue feathers variably toned towards either sky blue or navy, with white circling its piercing blue eyes before disappearing under its chin, and two white dots on the chest. It had flippers, rather than wings, a very slight yellow beak, and yellow feet. A Piplup, a fellow Water Type. Spencer would have an advantage.

The Piplup's companion was mammalian. Earthen tones, with an orange button nose and beady black eyes. Hardened green quills traced its back from the top of its head all the way down to its tail. Wicked looking claws on the feet, but not so on its forepaws. This was a Chespin, a Grass Type, Archie would need to take greater care. No doubt these two had gotten this far because they were the most dangerous of their potential opponents.

The two teams stared at each other for a moment, as if daring the other to be the first to make a move. The Chespin was the first to break the statemate. It charged forward, leaped into the air, and curled up into a ball. When it hit the ground, it was rolling, at surprising speed, directly at the two of them. Spencer pushed him out of the way, the Chespin sailed right past the Oshawott. The Treecko wasn't so lucky, the enemy Grass Type clipped him in the side and sent him rolling along the ground.

"Spens!" Archie turned away from his opponent to look at his friend. Big mistake. He felt something wrap around his foot, and looked down just in time to see the vine tighten around his ankle before the Chespin launched back into its Rollout, dragging the Oshawott along with it. Archie was dimly aware that he'd lost his hat soon after this unfortunate turn of events. He was also, much more pressingly aware of how much it hurt to have sharp rocks and sand dragged along his body.

The Oshawott tried a Water Gun, to no avail, he couldn't aim like this. The Chespin wheeled around, and Archie was swung into a wall. Then, some buried instinct kicked in. The vine still had some slack, the Chespin hadn't gotten far enough away to wheel Archie around and continue dragging him. He brought down both paws on the vine as hard as he could. It wasn't the most powerful of Assurances, but the vine loosened. Ahead of him, the Chespin winced, and was spilled out of its ongoing roll, right into the swing of Spencer's tail. This time, it was the Chespin's turn to be sent sprawling, and, what was better, the Treecko's Pound caused the Chespin's vine to loosen fully, Archie was free!

He staggered to his feet, brushing sand out of his fur, wincing every time his paw passed over a cut. Spencer was by his side in an instant, all but shoving an Oran Berry down the Oshawott's throat. He ate it as quick as he could, and was grateful for the immediate reduction in pain the berry brought with it. Taking a moment to survey the battlefield, the Oshawott noticed that there was suddenly a lot of Bubbles floating around. Evidently, while Archie's attention had been focused on the Chespin, the Piplup had been busy.

Speaking of the Chespin though, the other Pokemon was already back on its feet, looking annoyed by not terribly injured. Archie fired another Water Gun at it for good measure, and while the mammalian Grass Type was able to duck under the jet, the attack popped some of the Piplup's Bubbles, and the force of it sent others drifting away. There was a clear path to their enemy, one that Spencer immediately leapt to take advantage of.

Archie hadn't really appreciated how quick on his feet Spencer was before now. The Treecko set himself upon the Chespin with some force, slamming his tail across the opposing Grass Type's face while it was still scrambling to its feet from its previous dodge. The Chespin shot a vine out from within its quills, sweeping the Treecko off his feet. Spencer grabbed at the Pokemon as he fell, Absorbing twinkles of green energy from it. The Chespin, however, used this as a chance to disengage, performing another Rollout.

The Oshawott, meanwhile, fired another Water Gun, this time at the Piplup. It countered with Bubble, and the two attacks collided, sending Bubbles drifting everywhere. Archie pointed at the avian Water Type, "Spencer! The Piplup! I'll keep the path clear!"

The Treecko nodded, and charged the enemy Water Type. The Chespin stopped its Rollout, reaching out with another Vine Whip to trip up the Treecko. This time, however, it was Archie's turn to protect his partner. He fired a Water Gun at the Chespin, hitting it square in the back, and Spencer jumped over its fumbled vine.

"Hey! Eyes on me!" Archie taunted. That did it, the Chespin came rolling towards him again. He stood his ground, steeling himself for this. The Chespin rammed him, and together they went rolling into a wall, and he fought not to lose his breath. He slammed the Chespin in the back with both his paws, and this time, the Assurance really stung the mammal. For a moment, he was no longer being squeezed against a wall, and he took a deep breath.

The Chespin was out for blood now. It wrapped its vines around his arms, and bit into his exposed side. Its buck tooth was sharper than it looked, and this time Archie was unable to stop the gasp of pain, and momentary loss of focus that came with it. With his arms still wrapped up in vines, he was left with few options to stop the Chespin as it tossed him against the floor, then back into the wall.

Spencer was having more luck with the Piplup. While evidently it had some combat experience, it hadn't yet learned to effectively use its beak in combat, similar to Archie's continued confusion over his scalchop. This meant the Water Type had little to combat the close up Treecko's barrage of Quick Attacks and Pounds, and to make matters further worse for the avian, any good hit it managed with its own Pound or the occasional Bubble was erased by the Treecko's Absorb. The watery irritants were having an effect - the Treecko's speed had notably lessened from when he first rushed the avian - but this was a damage race the bird would not be able to maintain.

Luckily for the Piplup, and unluckily for Spencer, Archie's pained gasp proved distracting. The Treecko's head whipped towards his partner, and the Piplup was able to use the lapse of focus to headbutt the Pokemon in the gut and then put distance between them, putting up a wall of Bubbles to dissuade the Treecko from following. As it turned out, the Water Type hadn't needed to bother, the Treecko was hurrying to his partner's aid rather than keeping up the assault.

Yes, the Bubbles had done their work exceptionally well. Even trying to close the distance with Quick Attack, Spencer wasn't moving fast enough. Archie was slammed into the floor, into the wall. The Chespin's vines held him aloft by his arms, high over the floor, and swung him down again. Up into the air again, down into the ground again. The Oshawott couldn't take much more of this. They'd come so far only to lose; if only Spencer could reach them!

"Archie!" he screamed. A fire lit deep in his belly. It built as it travelled up his chest, through his throat, into his mouth. Wicked lavender flames burst forth when he opened his mouth again. The Chespin was set alight. It screamed, and Archie was let go. The Oshawott crumpled to the floor, but he was not beamed away. Spencer bound forward, another Quick Attack set him upon the burning mammalian Grass Type. Another Pound sent the Chespin into the ground. He hit it repeatedly, not caring about the fire burning low across its fur. He hit it until it was teleported out of the Dungeon, and his fits were connecting with the sand and rocks beneath it. Then he hit the ground where it had been laying more for good measure.

Archie was only dimly aware of the Chespin's sudden screams, and the fact that he'd been let go of. He fought to retain consciousness, he refused to allow himself to fail. He'd fought so hard, Spencer fought so hard. He couldn't let the Treecko down. At length, he felt hands on his fur. He was rolled onto his back, sat up. He felt a berry push itself past his lips, and he forced himself to take a bite. He fought back the embarrassment of the fact that he had to be hand fed, focused on gaining enough strength to open his eyes again. Spencer was looking down at him again, worry plastered over his face. Had it really only been yesterday that they'd met in much the same situation?

"Spens!" he said weakly, "Did - Did we win?"

"Yeah, we won," the Treecko chuckled, worry melting away. That was good, concern wasn't a good look for him, Archie thought. "Can you stand?"

He nodded, and the Treecko pulled him to his feet. He wobbled, but waved off Spencer's attempts to steady him. He noticed with some satisfaction that he'd wound up back near where his hat was, and picked the garment back up. It was a little dusty, but otherwise unharmed. The same could not be said for his poor coat. Being dragged along the ground and slammed into the rock walls repeatedly had torn it badly. That was a sham, he rather liked it - the coat was comfy, and reminded him of the human life he'd had, but couldn't remember.

"I discovered my Egg move," the Treecko smiled, "It's Dragon Breath. I used it to defeat the Chespin."

"I'm proud of you!" Archie grinned in return.

Their reverie was interrupted, however, by the appearance of another Pokemon. Archie didn't recognize them from the beach, they clearly weren't a competitor. Cream and magenta fur, with an oddly baggy pelt that bunched up around its wrists and thighs. It had a pointed muzzle, rounded ears, and its tail split into two near the tip. This was a Mienfoo, and must have been the Guild member the Gliscor had mentioned would be waiting for them at the bottom of the Dungeon.

"Gwyn tells me you boys are the only team unaccounted for topside," the Mienfoo said, "I've come to congratulate you on your victory." The Pokemon looked the two of them up and down. Archie was sure they looked incredibly shabby after their last fight, but the Mienfoo's chest swelled with what must have been pride.

"By the looks of you, it was a hard fought victory at that. Well done, you'll make a wonderful addition to the Lodge."

The Mienfoo pulled a badge from a belt pouch on his back. The badge somewhat resembled a Premier Ball, white with a red band, though the 'button' on the ball was also red. It also had wings, oddly enough. The Mienfoo held it towards them, and before he knew what was happening, Archie was engulfed in a flash of light. His stomach was pushed up into his chest, before dropping just as suddenly as the three of them reappeared on the beach. So that was teleportation?

In contrast to how crowded the sand had been before hand, now it was almost deserted. The failed applicants hadn't stuck around to see the successful team, and the Gliscor had left as well. It wasn't totally empty however, as the Kirlia had come down to meet them. She waved, quickly joining the group where they stood before the entrance to the Dungeon.

"Hello again boys! I've come down to congratulate you," she said, before bringing a paw up to her face as if she was about to pass on a great secret, "Viola had to go reprimand Douglas, it seemed the Foongus fell asleep on the job again!"

"Ah, I suppose we'll be the ones rolling out the red carpet for our new inductees, then," the Mienfoo said, stepping over to stand beside the Kirlia, "This is Gwyn, and you can call me Reid. Welcome to the Treasure Town branch of the Adventurers Guild."

"We've met already," Spencer said, nodding towards the Kirlia. The Treecko motioned towards himself and then the Oshawott in turn, "I'm Spencer, and this is Archie."

Archie waved, feeling a little overwhelmed. He was still tired from the last fight, and trying to get his bearings from the teleport. The Mienfoo started talking again as he lead the now four of them back up the hills towards the guild building on the top of the bluff. Something about registration and leaders, Archie wasn't paying much attention. Spencer was engaging in the conversation though, this was his dream after all, so that made sense. He would have to ask the Treecko for a refresher later.

He thought back on the events of the day, the traveling they'd done. The fights they had. Archie was taking to fighting a lot easier than he'd ever thought. This was only his second day as a Pokemon, and he was taking on Pokemon as if he was a natural brawler. He had the strength and endurance to both dish out damage and take hits. Was this a holdover from his time as a human, or was this all from being a Pokemon?

His chance for silent reflection didn't last long, however. Once they'd reached the top of the path and the guild building was in sight again, Archie's train of thought was broken by the sound of yelling. Two Pokemon came running out of the 'mouth' of the Scrafty building. The first, red limbs and a black body, a number of sharp looking blades sticking out of its torso and wrists. A Pawniard.

The second was a quadruped. A long brown body, with a yellow stripe along its back, mirrored by one going down its front. A very round head, with a pink nose and stubbly limbs, body almost flat to the ground. This was a Yungoos, and it was doing all the yelling. "Get back here, you can't just leave! Not after all the hard work I've done!"

Evidently, they'd arrived at the tail end of whatever argument these two Pokemon were having. The two disappeared down the hill Archie and his group had come up, either not noticing the other four Pokemon, or not caring to. Spencer watched them go, before turning towards Reid and Gwyn.

"What was that all about?"

The Mienfoo looked to the Kirlia, but she did not answer. She had gone off into another one of her odd trances. He looked back at Spencer and Archie, and gave a reassuring smile, "Gwyn is a telepath, she's asking around for us."

Gwyn wasn't in her trance for long, thankfully. When she came back, her face grew solemn, and she folded her hands over the frills of her 'dress,' "Sterling's partner has quit the Lodge. Seems this happy day has been destined to be twinged by sadness."

"Quit? Just like that?" Spencer seemed surprised. Archie was too, the Adventurers Guild had seemed so prestigious in the Treecko's descriptions of it. Certainly, it had been a hard fight just to get in. That a Pokemon had gotten so far, only to throw in the towel. Just what had the two of them signed up for?

"Life as an adventurer is not for everyone. The training is tough, not every recruit can withstand it," Reid explained.

"What will happen to Sterling now?" the Treecko asked, crossing his arms.

"He'll have to decide if he wants to continue on as a solo adventurer, find another partner, or quit as well," the Mienfoo continued, "Even though the Lodge accepts applicants in pairs, it's not unusual for them to go their separate ways over the course of their time with us."

"In fact, the four of us now constitute the only two complete teams currently on the roster," Gwyn cut in.

"You two joined together?" Spencer blinked, studying the Mienfoo and Kirlia in turn. The two likely made a powerful combination, Archie supposed. Able to cover each other's weaknesses. Their personalities also seemed to mesh well, so far as the Oshawott could tell, which likely contributed to their continued success.

"Oh yes, and Reid was such an eager boy back then, too," Gwyn giggled, "Why, you should have seen him. He used to get so flustered around the other guild members he'd trip over his own tail!"

"Gwyn. You are embarrassing me on purpose," the Mienfoo stated, with just the slightest edge of danger in his voice.

"Why, I resent the very accusation," the Kirlia replied, suddenly perfectly serious again. Perhaps Archie had misjudged the pair. They were a bit weirder than he'd originally took them for. "Now then, we should go and introduce you to the Branch Master, he'll be wanting to make your joining official."

With that, the Kirlia shepherded them into the building. Archie hadn't originally been sure what to expect, but as his eyes adjusted, he was surprised to find that this particular room was relatively barren. A tightly spiralling staircase in the center of the room lead down into the ground. A slight glow and the distant muttering of voices was the only thing to prove the lower levels of the guild were occupied.

"Did you guys dig this place out yourselves?" Spencer asked as the group was lead onto the stairs. Archie noted with some dismay that rather than smooth stone or anything of the sort, they were walking on roughly cut planks of wood, and there was no railing to save him if he misstepped and took a tumble. A brief sensation of falling, accompanied by a wave of vertigo, soon had the Oshawott studying the wall intently, hoping that his overactive imagination wouldn't get the better of him.

"Oh no, we were quite lucky. The Lodge inherited this space from a prior guild, and it only required minor refurbishment and some small enlarging," Gwyn answered breezily, apparently unaffected by the precariousness of their descent. At length the group reached a landing, and the Oshawott allowed himself to look out at the room. He could see windows cut out of the cliff wall, allowing the room some natural light. The floor was well trodden earth, with some cobblestones set up underneath desks and notice boards cluttered with papers.

They didn't stop here, however. Instead, the group was lead down another floor, to the bottom of the staircase. The floor here was all cobblestone, expertly set and worn smooth by years of use. This floor was much less 'busy' than the one above it, the floorspace being wide open. In fact, if anything there was a lack of furniture on this level. There were two hallways leading off from opposite sides of the room, one each to Archie's left and right, and another door set near to the staircase.

The source of the talking was revealed to be the Gliscor from before, presently lecturing the Foongus on the consequences of not doing a job well. The Growlithe was sat stoically nearby, his face not betraying any hit of emotion. They had either arrived at the tail end of the discussion, or the Gliscor had too much tact to give the mushroom a full tongue lashing in front of strangers. The four of them were spared a glance before the purple chiropteran turned back to the Foongus.

"Expect your punishment to come later tonight, now leave us."

The Foongus didn't need further encouragement. It fled down the left hallway at a remarkable speed for a Pokemon without any obvious legs. That left the six of them standing together - the Growlithe finally turning to acknowledge the newcomers. His expression finally softened, smiling in greeting.

"So Gwyn's prediction was right! I had a feeling it would be, our encounter may have been short, but I could tell the two of you had guts," the Growlithe said. He certainly seemed much friendlier when he wasn't making assumptions about people based on bad information. "My name is Will, and it's my honor to welcome you to the Adventurer's Guild."

"Thank you, but," Spencer began, before trailing off. The Treecko glanced around the room. It was a spacious place, must have been difficult to carve. But the size, and general lack of furnishings, did give it a rather empty quality, "The place is a lot less lively than I ancipiated."

"Do not take our lack of cohorts as anything but a sign of our exclusivity," the Growlithe said, proudly, "There are many Pokemon who would give anything to stand where you two are standing now."

The Treecko and Oshawott shared a look. Archie supposed that was true, there had been quite a number of applicants. Still, perhaps the lodge set its standards a tad too high.

"If that is everything, I shall take these two to see the Branch Master," the Gliscor said curtly, "The three of you go about your business."

Order received, their remaining entourage dispersed. Will and Reid started back up the stairs. Gwyn gave the boys a wave, before Teleporting away, disappearing in a beam of light. Such a useful skill, assuming one could ever get used to its assault on the stomach. Now alone with the Gliscor, the Treecko and Oshawott were lead over to the nearby door. Their guide tapped a claw on the door, before turning to them.

"I'm sure I don't have to say this, but I expect the pair of you to be on your best behavior before the Branch Master," she said.

Archie gulped, and quickly looked himself over. Only now did he release he hadn't actually had a chance to clean himself up any. His fur covered up any obvious cuts and bruises he still had - though he was beginning to suspect those Oran berries did a lot more than just made him feel better - but he had sand in more places than he cared to think about. Add in the dirty hat and torn coat, and he was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious.

Spencer fared marginally better, though even he was a bit scuffed up. Archie noticed he was shaking again, and the Oshawott put a hand on the Treecko's shoulder to steady him. That got him a small smile from his partner - it was official now, they were joining the guild together after all. He turned back to the door to find the Gliscor studying them, curious, with just a minor hint of annoyance. She seemed a severe sort.

When it was obvious that neither of them had anything to say, however, she turned away, towards the door. She knocked, but opened the door without waiting for a response, and shepherded the two of them inside. The room inside was dim, thick curtains hung over the windows. Fires burning dim a brazier on either side of the room cast long shadows. The floor was a mixture of sand and dirt, though a slightly raised wooden platform against the back wall kept most of the room's contents from getting dirty.

What those contents were consisted mainly of an absolute mound of pillows and cushions, all resting on top of a throw rug. There was little, if any, regard for color coordination, the mount practically screamed in tones ranging from the brightest pastel, to deeply saturated colors, to pillows so dim they were almost black. And, lounging within a space carved to perfectly fit its body, was a Scrafty: its head a perfect match for the facade they'd entered to get down here, yellow shed skin 'clothing' partially concealing its orange and black body. Smoke hung around them, giving the Pokemon a sort of hazy quality while also bathing the room in an acrid smell.

"Branch Master," the Gliscor said, "This is the team that passed today's exam."

The Scrafty leaned forward, resting its head against a hand, and studied them with half-lidded eyes. Its resting face gave the Pokemon a look of disdain, or at least severe disinterest, but eventually the corner of its mouth twitched upward.

"So they are," the Scrafty said, smoothly, "Which means they are deserving at least some measure of respect. I am Blake, you will refer to me as 'Branch Master' for the duration of your stay with us. Let us hope you last longer than the last pair. You have names, I imagine?"

The two introduced themselves in turn, and with that, the Scrafty leaned back into his pillow pile, and gestured at the Gliscor. "Viola, take them through orientation."

The Gliscor had entered the room after them, and now shut the door. Stepping in front of the pair, she presented them with a pair of badges, identical to the one Archie had seen Reid use.

"These badges mark you as official members of the Treasure Town Adventurer's Lodge. With them, you'll be able to partake in official lodge missions, and have unrestricted access to this and any other branch lodge. This is an irreplaceable mark of your status and how you will be recognized by authorities," the Gliscor explained.

"The consequences for losing your badge are," the Scrafty cut in, before giving a vague gesture, "severe."

Somehow, despite the almost carefree nature of the Branch Master's movement, the words still sent ice down the Oshawott's spine. He shivered despite himself before he accepted the badge. Next, he was presented with a canvas messenger bag - though Spencer was not also offered one. He accepted that as well with some confusion.

"I expect, given your partner already has one, that I do not need to explain how Wonder Bags work," the Gliscor continued, as if she hadn't noticed Archie's expression. "Inside you will find a Wonder Map, which will keep track of your current location and those of any potential destinations you know of. This map only displays the Grass Continent, should your work for the Lodge take you to any other continent, you will have to procure a new map at the nearest branch office."

"Wonder Maps are rare and powerful items, which is why we only entrust them to team leaders. Handle it with care," the Scrafty cut in again.

Archie looked up from his bag at the Branch Master, and then at Viola, "Wait, Team Leader? Me?"

"Of course," the Gliscor said, tilting her head ever so slightly, "Gwyn informed me that she and Reid discussed this with your partner. This was a decision you'd already made?"

The Oshawott shot a glance at the Treecko, who gave him a sheepish grin in response. This would be discussed later, when they weren't in front of others. For now, he looked back at the Gliscor and smiled, "O-of course. I'm sorry, this is just all so fast."

It sounded like a lame excuse, even to him. Thankfully, neither Lodge Pokemon felt the need to press him further. Instead, Viola kept right on with her explanation: "As Team Leader, the responsibility to accept missions, provision yourself properly, manage your time, and operate effectively in the field falls on you. The reputation of the lodge rests on your conduct. Remember that well."

"Now them. We just need a team name to make you all official," the Scrafty said, leaning forward again. Beside him, Spencer hissed.

"I hadn't thought of that," the Treecko said, just loud enough for Archie to hear. That definitely put them in an awkward position. The Scrafty and Gliscor were both watching them expectantly. Spencer shot the Oshawott a glance, which, unfortunately, the Branch Master seemed to pick up on.

"How 'bout it, Team Leader?"

He was being put on the spot! Part of him couldn't believe the Treecko hadn't thought of this already. Wasn't this supposed to be Spencer's dream, after all? The Oshawott racked his brain for any kind of ideas. An Oshawott and a Treecko, a Water Type and a Grass Type. They'd met at a river full of plantlife. Riverweed? Too mean. Waterlily? Seemed a little too prissy, they were supposed to be hardened adventurers! Maybe something simpler?

His thoughts naturally drifted to the Lotads they'd encountered. A Water/Grass Type Pokemon with a lilypad on its head. It evolved twice, into Lombre and Ludicolo, though only the former kept the lilypad mimicry. But now he was starting to go in circles, thinking about water plants and the river again. It was kind of funny though, Lotad was a blue and green Pokemon. Kind of like how Oshawott was blue and Treecko was green. Blue and Green? Didn't that make…

"Teal!" the Oshawott blurted.

Spencer chuckled, "Teal? I like that. Teal it is!"

The Treecko's face positively lit up. Did he really find it that funny? Archie cringed inwardly. Honestly, he felt more than a little embarrassed. Still, he tried not to show it on his face.

"Hope you thought about that hard, because it's official now," the Scrafty said, once again leaning back into his nest of pillows. Viola cleared her throat, drawing the Oshawott and Treecko's attention back to her.

"Well then, Archie and Spencer of Team Teal, allow me to officially welcome to you the Treasure Town branch of the Adventurer's Lodge. May your efforts bring fame to us all, and may your names go down in history. You are dismissed for now - try to clean yourselves up a bit before dinner. Your quarters are down the left hallway when you depart here, the very last door. Mess hall is down the right hallway, you will hear the dinner call."

They were shown out of the room, the Gliscor closing the door behind them, and leaving the pair of them alone in the guild's main hall. Spencer made an odd noise, somewhere between a groan and a squeal, and when Archie turned to look at him the Treecko wrapped him in his arms.

"We did it Archie! Oh, I'm so excited I could barely contain myself in there!" he said, squeezing the Oshawott a bit tight for comfort. "Can you believe it? Team Teal! It's a good name for us, especially since you had to come up with it so quickly!"

"Spens. Can't breathe," Archie said plaintively. Thankfully, he was released then, the Treecko looked sheepish again. The Oshawott gave his partner a reassuring smile again, "I'm proud of you, you worked really hard for this."

The Treecko nodded, then grabbed his paw and lead him towards the crew quarters. "Come on, you heard Viola, we gotta get ourselves cleaned up quick! I can't wait to meet the other Lodge members!"


End file.
